


in love when you're around

by sevensevan



Series: roots [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: 5 times catra thought people hated her and 1 time she didnt i guess?, 5+1 Things, F/F, Fluff, begging u guys to read the roots that sleep, except all of the times are directly related to her and adora pda-ing, except i can't really articulate what the things are, the absolute lightest angst i've ever written in my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevensevan/pseuds/sevensevan
Summary: The first few weeks of their relationship feel like a dream come true for Catra and Adora. For their friends, who have to put up with their suddenly-very-intense PDA? Not so much.Takes place immediately after chapter 11 of the roots that sleep.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: roots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2070921
Comments: 20
Kudos: 136





	in love when you're around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loverman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverman/gifts).



> more roots content! this time for dan @danisdreaming on tumblr's birthday. i did not intend bonus scenes from the roots 'verse to be my birthday gift to all my friends, but it's kind of looking that way. dan requested that i do not hurt him with this fic, so this is the fluffiest, softest, least angsty entry you're probably ever going to get in the roots 'verse. dan, you're a wimp, but i wrote something happy for you.
> 
> this picks up immediately after catra and adora's new years' kiss at the end of the main story of roots, and covers the weeks between that and adora's twenty-first birthday. enjoy.

**1.**

“This way,” Adora says as they reach the top of the stairs, nodding down the hall to their right.

“Why is Sparkles’ house this fucking big,” Catra mutters. It’s more to herself than Adora, but Adora smiles at her anyway, amused.

“C’mere,” she says, reaching out and taking Catra’s hand. Catra raises an eyebrow at her, thoroughly ignoring how _nice_ Adora’s hand feels in hers. They may be actually, for real dating as of five minutes ago, but Catra isn’t about to get _sappy_. “So you don’t get lost,” Adora says, squeezing Catra’s hand.

“Oh, is _that_ why?” Catra says. It comes out less mocking and more flirty than she intended it. Adora grins at her.

“Obviously,” she says. Catra is about to say something, maybe another teasing comment, maybe _I love you_ , when she hears footsteps behind them on the stairs.

“Adora?” It’s Glimmer’s voice. Adora and Catra turn in unison, looking over their shoulders to the staircase. Glimmer is standing there at the top of the stairs, her arms crossed over her chest, looking between them with a look on her face that Catra doesn’t like one bit.

“Glimmer,” Adora says, and she drops Catra’s hand so she can turn around fully to face Glimmer. Catra shoves her hands into her pockets, already uncomfortable with the tension in the air. “Hey.”

“So, you guys are…” Glimmer gestures vaguely between them. “Again?”

“Yeah,” Adora says. “We talked things out.” Glimmer nods. Her eyes flick back to Catra, and Catra sees the same anger in them that had been there when they ran into each other in the entryway earlier this evening. It isn’t _surprising_ to realize that forgiveness from Adora’s friends won’t be quite as easy to get as forgiveness from Adora herself, but it still leaves a bitter taste in Catra’s mouth. She had liked Bow and Glimmer, before she spent weeks running away and breaking Adora’s heart. She had _wanted_ to be friends with them. But that might be out of the question, now.

“Okay,” Glimmer says, still looking at Catra. “But I swear to god, if you hurt her again, I’ll—“

“Glimmer,” Adora interrupts. She sighs. “Can we just—not do this right now? I’m tired.” Glimmer looks back at her, eyes narrowed.

“Sure,” she says. “But we need to talk about it at some point. I’m just trying to take care of you, Adora.”

“I know.” Adora suppresses a yawn. “We can talk about it later. Good night, Glimmer.”

“Good night.” Glimmer doesn’t look happy about it, but she turns and retreats back down the stairs. Adora turns back to Catra and frowns immediately.

“Hey, she says. “You good?” Catra realizes that her discomfort is showing on her face, and immediately tries to form her expression into something more neutral.

“I’m fine,” she says. Adora raises her eyebrows. “I’m _fine_. Just sucks that Sparkles hates me, is all.”

“She doesn’t _hate_ you.” Adora takes Catra’s hand and starts leading her down the hall again. “She’s just protective. She’ll get over it.”

“Will she?” Catra kind of doubts it. She knows Glimmer pretty well from the past few months she’s been back in Adora’s life. Glimmer is _stubborn_.

“Catra,” Adora says, stopping in front of a closed door. “Glimmer will get over it, I promise. But I was being serious when I said I was too tired to deal with this right now.” Catra exhales slowly, settling the anxiety in her chest.

“Okay,” she says. “I get that. It’s been a pretty emotional night already.” Adora half-smiles.

“Yeah,” she says. “Now c’mon. We have cuddling to do.” Catra rolls her eyes, but follows Adora into her bedroom, leaving the sounds of the party, still happening downstairs, muted and distant.

**2.**

Catra is _not_ going to ask for help. Absolutely not. She can get her own cereal bowl down, damn it, even if it’s high enough up in the cabinet that she’s considering hoisting her knee onto the counter just to—

“I got it,” Adora says from behind her— _close_ behind her. Her arm appears in Catra’s field of vision, reaching easily above both their heads and into the cabinet for a bowl. Her other hand falls to Catra’s hip, warm through the flannel pajama pants that Adora had dug out of a drawer after they left the New Years’ party the night before and handed off to Catra. The contact is _almost_ enough for Catra not to turn and glare at Adora.

Almost.

“You’re such a bitch,” Catra says, turning around in Adora’s arms. Adora laughs, setting the bowl on the countertop so she has both hands free to wrap around Catra’s waist.

“I’m helping,” Adora says, grinning at her. “It’s not my fault you’re short. I’m just trying to make up for it for you.” Catra rolls her eyes.

“ _Asshole_ ,” she says. Adora laughs again, and Catra’s heart jumps into her throat. Adora looks—so _happy_. They’re in the kitchen of Glimmer’s house, up earlier than Glimmer, her family, or any of their friends that had slept over by virtue of not being massively hungover and having gone to sleep before four in the morning. The house is quiet but for them in the kitchen, and the huge windows across the room are letting the morning sunlight in. Adora’s hair is down, she’s smiling, and Catra is—

“I love you,” Catra says, because she can say that now. Adora’s teasing smirk fades, and she looks at Catra with a different, softer smile.

“I love you, too,” she says. Catra reaches up, pressing a hand to the back of Adora’s neck, and pulls her in, resting their foreheads together. After a moment, Adora closes her eyes, and Catra follows suit, focusing on the warmth of Adora’s hands on her waist, the sounds of her quiet breathing, the closeness—

Someone clears their throat. Catra blinks her eyes open, pulling away from Adora as best she can with the counter behind her and Adora in front of her. Adora is a little slower to follow suit, stepping slightly back from Catra with great reluctance as they look to the source of the voice.

It’s Glimmer, which surprises Catra more than it should given that they’re in _her_ kitchen. Glimmer looks less angry than she had the night before, and more just uncomfortable with the moment she’s stumbled into. Adora takes another step back from Catra, and Catra lets her go. She doubts flaunting their relationship is going to make Glimmer any happier about it.

“Sorry,” Glimmer says, sounding more tired than any human being Catra has ever heard in her life. “Coffee.”

“Already made a pot,” Adora says. Glimmer nods and wanders farther into the kitchen. Catra goes back to her quest for cereal, the back of her neck prickling uncomfortably at Glimmer’s presence. It isn’t irritation—Glimmer’s protectiveness is fully warranted, and Catra knows it. That’s really what’s bothering her. She’s upset that she’s given Adora’s friends _reason_ to be worried.

Adora and Catra eat breakfast in silence at the long counter lined with barstools on the far end of the kitchen. Glimmer mostly ignores them, scrolling through her phone and rapidly consuming first one, then another cup of coffee. The vibe in the room is _weird_. Catra feels like her skin is crawling. But Glimmer makes no move to continue the discussion they touched on last night, and eventually, Catra can’t stand it anymore.

“Hey, Adora?” she mutters after awhile. Adora hums, glancing at her. “Can you go back upstairs and get me a hoodie or something? It’s chilly in here.” It isn’t a lie. There are goosebumps on Catra’s bare arms, popping up around her burn scars.

“Are you sure?” Adora says. She shoots a completely unsubtle look at Glimmer, who is looking up from her phone now at the two of them.

“I’m sure,” Catra says. “Take your time.” Adora nods, kisses Catra on the cheek, and leaves the room. Catra watches her go, then turns to Glimmer, who is no longer even pretending to pay attention to her phone. “Okay,” Catra says. “Let’s talk about it.”

“Why’d you kick Adora out?” Glimmer asks. Catra shrugs.

“She’d try to defend me,” she says. “It wouldn’t help.” And she isn’t sure she deserves to be defended. Glimmer nods, apparently satisfied with the answer, and turns to set her phone on the kitchen counter.

“You know, I’ve seen Adora lose you twice now,” Glimmer says, turning back to look at Catra with a flat stare, “and both times, I had to pick up the pieces. I didn’t know _what_ had happened to her when she first moved here, but I knew something was really, really wrong.”

“The first time wasn’t my fault,” Catra says, shaking her head. “It was complicated.”

“I know.” Glimmer crosses her arms, and she has no right to appear as intimidating as she does, given that she’s even shorter than Catra and has a ridiculous case of bedhead. “I’m not blaming you for that. But I do blame you for last time.” Catra looks away. She can’t argue with that. She was the one who ran away. “She falls apart without you, Catra,” Glimmer says. “It took her _years_ to recover the first time, and with you guys—“ she makes a vague gesture with her hands, tangling her fingers together “—I’m not sure she _would_ recover if you left again.”

“I’m not leaving,” Catra says quietly. “Not this time.” Glimmer looks at her for a long moment.

“I don’t know if I believe that,” she says. Catra sighs and looks down at the counter beneath her palms.

“I can’t make you,” she says. “But, look—you’re one of Adora’s best friends. And I _am not leaving_ , so if we’re both going to be in her life, we should try to get along.” She looks up at Glimmer. “So…truce?”

“…Yeah, okay.” Glimmer doesn’t look _happy_ with the idea, but she seems willing to let it go for now. “But if you hurt her, I swear to God they’ll never find your body.” The intensity in Glimmer’s eyes is bright enough that Catra kind of believes her.

“Hey.” It’s Adora, coming back into the kitchen. She has a red hoodie over one arm, and she’s glancing between Catra and Glimmer nervously. “Everything okay?”

“We’re all good,” Catra says, leaning back on her stool. “Right, Sparkles?”

“Sure.” Glimmer refills her coffee cup _again_ and fills a second one. “I’m gonna go wake up Bow.” She takes her coffees and leaves the room. Adora retakes her seat beside Catra, holding out the hoodie. Catra takes it gratefully, pulling it over her head and savoring both the layer of warmth and the way it smells like Adora.

“Is everything actually good with you and Glimmer?” Adora says, a worried crease forming between her eyebrows.

“Sure,” Catra says. “She threatened to murder me if I break up with you. It’s all good.” Adora frowns at her, her worry not going away, and Catra rolls her eyes, reaching out and taking Adora’s hand. “It’s all good,” she says again. “Promise.”

“Okay.” Adora laces their fingers together. “What do you want to do today?” Catra considers it for a moment. It’s New Year’s Day, so there isn’t anything open, and all of Adora’s friends are recovering from hangovers. Scorpia and Entrapta are probably back at the apartment they share with Catra, and they won’t be up to much, either. There really isn’t anything to do.

“Something with you, I guess,” Catra says, trying and failing to sound insincere. Maybe she should just get used to sounding like a lovestruck idiot around Adora.

“Yeah?” Adora says. She’s grinning, big and ridiculous and brighter than the sunlight streaming into the room.

“Not if you keep looking at me like that, dumbass.” It’s a lie. Catra kind of wants to die to that expression, but she isn’t going to say that out loud.

**3.**

“Hey, Adora,” Catra says. In her peripheral vision, she sees Adora look up from where she’s spotting Bow, but Catra’s eyes are locked on the other side of the gym, where the sparring ring is. “How do you feel about some light hitting?”

“Uh…” Catra finally turns to look at Adora, who is staring at her blankly.

“Sparring, dumbass,” Catra says, pointing at the ring. Adora glances at it, realization spreading over her face.

“I just wanna say,” Bow says, voice strained as he pushes a barbell up and away from his chest, for like, the hundredth time today (Catra really does not understand the appeal of weightlifting), “that I am very uncomfortable with the way you decided to phrase that.” Adora turns a little pink. Catra just laughs.

“It was your idea to go to the gym together, dude,” she says. “What did you expect?” Bow just shakes his head and settles the barbell back onto its rack.

“I’m done anyway,” he says, sitting up from the bench. “I’ll stretch out while you guys are beating each other up.” He gets up and wanders off, leaving Catra with an unpleasant feeling in her chest. Guilt, almost. He hadn’t seemed _upset_ by their innuendo, at least, but he clearly hadn't wanted to be around it.

“Sorry,” Catra says, turning back to Adora. “Didn’t mean to bother him.” Adora shrugs.

“He’ll live,” she says, sounding unbothered by the whole situation. She looks over at Catra, and Catra must not get the vaguely concerned expression off her face fast enough, because Adora frowns at her. “You okay?”

“I’m just—“ Catra waves a hand. “I don’t wanna piss off your friends any more than I already have.”

“Piss off?” Adora echoes. “Catra, Bow isn’t mad. He’d tell you if he was; he’s, like, the best communicator I know.” Catra nods reluctantly. It’s true—Bow isn’t the type to _not_ talk about his feelings—but she almost…doesn’t want it to be. She kind of _wants_ Bow to be mad at her.

“Still,” Catra says. “I’m on thin ice with your friends. I don’t wanna push it.”

“Catra.” Adora reaches out, taking one of Catra’s hands. “What’s _actually_ the problem here?” Catra sighs. Her instincts tell her to pull her hand away, brush off the question and hope that Adora forgets about it. But she’s working on not running away anymore, so she tells her instincts to fuck off.

“I…fucked up, a lot,” Catra says slowly, “with you. And I guess I—I kind of want to be…held accountable? _Somebody_ should be mad at me for it, and you’re not, so…”

“ _I_ held you accountable,” Adora says. “I asked you to do better, and you are.”

“But you’re not—“ Catra runs her free hand through her hair, trying to drive off her agitation. “You’re not _mad_ at me. You’re not—you’re not being mean, you’re not hurting me, and I feel like—like I should be hurting.”

“Maybe today isn’t the best day for a sparring session,” Adora says, and Catra manages to laugh.

“Yeah,” she mutters. “Maybe not.”

“Look.” Adora squeezes Catra’s hand. “You messed up. You know that, and we’ve talked about it, so you don’t need to hurt, okay? And my friends aren’t mad at you. Well, Glimmer is…protective. And maybe a little mad. But nobody is going to hurt you, and you wouldn’t deserve it.” Catra nods, even though she doesn’t quite believe that. “Okay,” Adora says. “Let’s go find Bow and figure out where we’re going for lunch.”

**4.**

“Can I take this off?” Adora says, tugging lightly at the hem of Catra’s shirt. Her voice is low, her eyes dark, and Catra’s mouth goes dry even as she rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know, can you?” she says. Adora makes a face at her that could probably be described as _pouting_ , and Catra rolls her eyes again, shifting back in Adora’s lap, her knees balanced on the mattress beneath them. “Go for it,” she says, lifting her hands from Adora’s shoulders to raise them out of the way.

The shirt is halfway over her head when Catra’s bedroom door opens.

“Hey, wildcat, what were you thinking for dinner—oh.” Catra takes a deep breath, sighs, and pulls the shirt back down onto her body.

“Hi, Scorpia,” she says, twisting her head to look at the intruder. Scorpia is standing two steps into the room, eyes comically wide and jaw dropped in…horror? Catra is pretty sure that’s horror. “You don’t have to stand there and stare.”

“Uh,” Scorpia says. “Right! Right, sorry! Should’ve—I’ll just go now. Hi Adora! Bye Adora!” She turns and bolts back out of the room before Adora can respond, closing the door behind her. Catra sighs again and turns back to Adora, who is both speechless and rapidly turning a violent shade of red.

“You in there?” Catra says, poking Adora’s forehead. Adora blinks and shakes her head.

“Oh my _God_ ,” she says. Catra snorts.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” she says. “Chill.”

“Chill—“ Adora leans back, covering her face in her hands, and Catra reluctantly faces the fact that she should probably get out of Adora’s lap. With Scorpia both home and having interrupted, they aren’t going to get anywhere tonight. “Catra, I barely _know_ Scorpia,” Adora hisses as Catra climbs off of her and sits down beside her on the mattress instead. “She’s your _best friend_ , and I want her to _like me_ , and now she’s walked in on—“ Adora groans loudly and hides her face in her hands again.

“Seriously, chill,” Catra says, ignoring Adora’s wordless noise of protest. “Scorpia already likes you because _I_ like you, and neither of us were naked. It’s fine.” Adora shakes her head, not getting any less pink. Catra stares at her for a minute before deciding there’s probably nothing she can do to help with this. “Okay, I’m going to go talk to Scorpia about boundaries,” Catra says, standing up from the bed. “And you’re going to sit here and get your shit together so you can look Scorpia in the eye again. Also, _you’re_ my best friend, dumbass.” Adora’s eyes go wide at the last statement, but Catra doesn’t stick around for what’s sure to be an adorable and highly emotional reaction to it. She and Scorpia need to have a talk.

Scorpia is sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at nothing. She looks up when Catra walks into the room, and her eyes go wide again with sheer panic.

“Listen, I am _so sorry_ ,” she says. “I should’ve knocked, I just, y’know, never knock, but I really should’ve knocked, and I—“

“Scorpia.” Catra raises a hand, and Scorpia shuts up. “I didn’t used to care. You’re in the habit of just walking in, so I get it. But I’m instituting a _knock first_ rule from now on, okay?”

“Absolutely,” Scorpia says, nodding. “Totally fine. Very—reasonable and cool. I’m so sorry.” Catra nods, and Scorpia takes a few deep breaths, getting herself down from her freakout. “Um, I guess you and Adora are…doing good,” Scorpia says after a minute. “I was gonna ask, since we haven’t really talked about it since you two—“ She makes a vague gesture with her hands, pushing her fingers together. “—but obviously things are good.”

“Yeah.” Catra tries to twist her mouth into anything except the lovestruck smile it’s becoming, and fails utterly. “Things are good. I’m…really happy.”

“I can tell.” Scorpia is smiling at her. “So Adora is going to be around a lot?”

“Yeah, probably,” Catra says with a shrug. It’s a lot easier to find some privacy in the three bedroom apartment than it is in Adora’s dorm room.

“Cool,” Scorpia says. “So is there any chance that you could, um, like, text me when she’s over? So that I don’t walk into anything, or overhear anything, or something?”

Catra considers that for a moment, then says, “How about instead, I start looking for my own place?”

**5.**

“Are we there yet?” Catra says. Adora and Bow both laugh at her, Adora from her spot beside Catra on the dirt trail up the hill— _mountain_ —and Bow from a few yards ahead. Glimmer, beside him, doesn’t join in the laughter. She seems just as unhappy with the _weekend hike_ activity choice as Catra is.

“Almost,” Adora tells Catra. Catra glances up at her girlfriend, then up at the top of the hill far above them.

“You’re lying to me,” she says, and Adora laughs again.

“C’mon, you’re a runner!” Bow says from ahead of them. “You’re strong! You can do this!”

“I _can_ ,” Catra says. “Doesn’t mean I _want_ to go walking up a hill getting bug bites for six hours. Tracks are nice because they’re _flat_ , Bow.”

“Tell ya what, I’ll carry you to the next flat bit,” Adora says. Catra gives her a skeptical look, but Adora looks completely sincere. “Here!” She takes off her backpack, then puts it back on on her front.

“Adora,” Catra says, “you look like a fucking idiot.” Adora just grins at her and turns around.

“Hop on,” she says, gesturing at her own back and squatting down slightly. Catra shakes her head, exasperated, but steps forward anyway and hops onto Adora’s back. Adora catches her easily, straightening up like she can’t even feel Catra’s weight. Adora takes a step forward, and Catra looks up, trying to focus on where they’re going. By doing so, though, she accidentally shifts her weight back, and Adora stumbles a step, trying to readjust. Catra, surprised by the sudden lack of stability, kicks her legs out, trying to get down. Adora’s hands are tucked under her legs, though, and the only thing Catra succeeds in is unbalancing them further.

They stumble forwards and directly into Glimmer.

“ _Seriously_ , guys?” Glimmer says as she steps forward, out of the disaster zone. She turns to glare at them, and Catra’s smile drops off her face. She slips off of Adora’s back and onto her own two feet.

“Sorry,” she mutters. She sees Adora turn in her peripheral vision, frowning with concern, but she ignores her, keeping her eyes on the ground.

“Uh, it’s cool,” Glimmer says. They’ve all come to a stop now, standing in the middle of the trail, and all three of the others are looking at Catra.

“Okay, let’s go then,” Catra says, eyes flicking between Bow and Glimmer and pointedly not looking at Adora. If she looks at that stupid worried look, she’ll end up _talking_ about her _feelings_.

“How about, instead, we take a water break,” Bow says. “And talk about whatever just happened, because that was kinda really uncomfortable.” Catra sighs heavily, but doesn’t bother arguing. She just digs her water bottle out from her backpack’s side pocket and sips from it as she waits.

“I wasn’t trying to, like, be mean,” Glimmer says eventually, and her apologetic tone is enough to make Catra frown at her. “I was just giving you guys shit for being gross. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Sure,” Catra says, and she’s about to leave it there when Adora shoots her a _look_. Right, she’s supposed to be getting better at the communication thing. “I just know you’re pissed at me. You both are. And I don’t wanna make things worse, I guess.” She shrugs. Bow and Glimmer exchange glances, and Catra suddenly realizes how _annoying_ it must be when she and Adora have silent conversations like that.

“We’re…upset with you, yeah,” Bow says eventually, turning back to Catra. “But Adora told us you guys talked about things, and it’s not, like, our place to tell you how to act with each other. And even if it was, I wouldn’t. You guys are happy with each other. Right?” Catra nods slowly. “Neither of us want you to feel like you have to hide that.”

“I already told you my issues with you,” Glimmer says. Her tone is less diplomatic than Bow’s, but she doesn’t sound…mad. “You listened. I didn’t ask for anything else, and I definitely didn’t ask you to pretend you don’t like Adora.”

“Right.” Catra’s throat is feeling tight, and she swallows hard. “So you guys don’t, like…hate me?”

“No.” Bow smiles at her. “You’re our friend, too, Catra. That doesn’t go away just because you made a mistake.”

“A lot of mistakes,” Glimmer mutters. “Over and over.” Bow bumps his shoulder against hers, and Glimmer sighs. “No, we don’t hate you,” she says to Catra. “I do think you and Adora are gross, but you don’t have to _stop_ being gross on my account.”

“I…” Catra has to pause to take a deep breath. “I didn’t realize you guys still wanted to be my friends,” she says. Bow makes a wounded noise.

“C’mere,” he says, opening his arms, and Catra hesitates only a moment before stepping into the hug. Seconds later, Glimmer is latching onto both their sides.

“Group hug?” Adora says. She sounds _delighted_ , and she joins in, wrapping around Catra’s back and throwing her arms around the entire group.

Catra allows herself to enjoy the contact for a solid fifteen seconds before she says, “Okay, you guys are all really sweaty and this is disgusting.” That elicits laughter from everyone except Catra, who was being completely serious and makes a face as she slithers out of the group hug. The other three detach quickly, and soon, they’re headed up the trail again, Bow and Glimmer still a few paces ahead of Catra and Adora.

Adora bumps their shoulders together. When Catra looks at her, Adora grins and holds out a hand. Catra rolls her eyes, but takes it.

**1.**

“Hey.” Catra jumps at the voice, leaving her cup on the counter so she can whirl to face the entrance to the kitchen without spilling it. It’s Adora, framed in the entryway with a stupid grin and a plastic cup in her own own hand.

“Thanks for the heart attack,” Catra says, shaking her head as she turns back to the drink she’s trying to assemble. Adora laughs at her, stepping into the kitchen and setting her cup on the counter. Catra glances at it, and is surprised to find it mostly full. “What are you even doing in here?” she asks, glancing up at her girlfriend.

“Missed you,” Adora says. She moves to stand behind Catra, slinging her arms around Catra’s waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

“I’ve been gone for, like, a minute,” Catra says. Adora hums, sending vibrations into Catra’s collarbone.

“And I missed you,” she says again. Catra rolls her eyes, finishes making her drink, and sets it aside before she turns around in Adora’s arms and looks at her. Adora is still grinning, and Catra can’t stop herself. She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses her.

“Happy birthday,” Catra says when she pulls away. Adora’s smile somehow gets bigger.

“Thank you,” she says. She leans down, and Catra isn’t about to stop her. Adora pulls her into another kiss, deeper and longer than the last, and Catra is really happy that she’d set her drink down, because she definitely would’ve dropped it by now if she hadn’t.

“ _Gross_ , guys,” a voice says from the entryway to the kitchen. Catra reluctantly pulls back, turning her head, and finds Mermista, making an annoyed face at them. “Make out somewhere else.”

“It’s my birthday,” Adora says. “I can make out with Catra wherever I want.”

“Not in my house, you can’t,” Mermista says. “Shoo.” She waves her hands at them, and Adora steps back from Catra with a deep sigh, though she keeps their hands linked together. They collect their drinks from the counter and head back out of the kitchen into the party.

Mermista had volunteered her mansion without even being asked when the subject of Adora’s twenty-first birthday had come up a few weeks ago. No one was about to say _no_ to hosting a party in a giant, opulent space with built-in speakers and enough guest bedrooms that nobody would have to stay sober to drive their friends home. The party is a lot smaller than the Halloween party had been—it’s their friends, their friends’ friends, and some of their friends’ partners, not the entire damn university—and the speakers are relatively quiet to accommodate Entrapta, who is currently sitting in the corner, deep in conversation with Bow. Judging by the matching excited looks on their faces, it’s probably about something unbelievably nerdy that Catra has no interest in.

“Took you guys long enough,” Glimmer calls from her spot next to Scorpia, of all people. Catra has no idea what the two of them might even talk about. “How long can it take to make a drink?”

“Depends on how hot your girlfriend distracting you is,” Catra says. Adora releases her hand to instead throw her arm around Catra’s shoulders. Catra can see her grinning in her peripheral vision.

“Gross,” Glimmer pronounces. Catra just laughs and kisses Adora’s forearm where it rests on her shoulder. Beside her, Adora tilts her head, turning towards the speakers.

“Hey,” she says, bumping her hip against Catra’s. “This is a good song. We should dance.” Catra glances at the empty space in the middle of the giant living room, where absolutely nobody is dancing.

“I don’t think it’s a dancing kinda night,” she points out, looking back at Adora. The party has been very chill, almost quiet. Nobody has even made a move towards the dance floor.

“So?” Adora says. “It’s my birthday. I think it’s a dancing night.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Glimmer says. She gets to her feet. “Hey, Bow!” she calls across the room. “We’re dancing!” Catra watches as Bow says something to Entrapta and gets to his feet, quickly crossing the room to join them.

“C’mon,” Adora says, tugging Catra towards the dance floor. Catra shakes her head, rolls her eyes, and goes with her. Bow and Glimmer are already dancing by the time Adora and Catra catch up, and she settles into their little circle, scoffing under her breath at how stupid they look and knowing that she looks exactly the same: dancing in a little group to music that isn’t loud enough to make them feel cool, while the rest of their friends are probably staring and wondering what the fuck they’re thinking.

Catra looks around at the people in front of her—the love of her life and her two best friends, who Catra is somehow getting the chance to _matter_ to—and closes her eyes. She reaches out for Adora and lets herself _belong_.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i'm on tumblr @sevens-evan and on twitter @sevens_evan if you wanna hear from me more often. check out my other spop fics if you haven't, and if you've for some reason read this fic without reading the roots that sleep, i would recommend that one, lmao.
> 
> please leave a comment on this if you liked it!


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